Alex Caccamo rides at Red Bull Slide-In Tour in Killington, Vermont
© Peter Cirilli / Red Bull Content Pool
Snowboarding

Exploring butter snowboarding: A beginner's guide

This maneuver lifts one end of your board off the ground as you glide across the snow as smoothly as, well, butter.
By Natalie Hamingson
6 min readPublished on
You’ve been snowboarding for a while, and you’ve started dipping your toe into the wonderful world of freestyle tricks. At the start of this journey, one of the first moves you should master is the snowboard butter. It’s an essential building block for other ground tricks, and more importantly, it’s just a whole lot of fun. Read ahead to answer the question “what is butter snowboarding?” and get a step-by-step guide to becoming a snowboard buttering pro.
01

What is butter snowboarding?

Buttering puts your balance to the test as you shift your weight forward or backward, leading with your hips. This maneuver lifts one end of your board off the ground as you glide across the snow as smoothly as, well, butter. It’s often compared to doing a wheelie on a bike, but unlike on a bike, you can butter on both ends of your snowboard. Once you’re comfortable with the basic butter press technique, you can mix it with 180-degree and, eventually, 360-degree spins.
Participant during Red Bull Edge in Schruns, Austria

Participant during Red Bull Edge in Schruns, Austria

© Markus Berger / Red Bull Content Pool

02

Why should you learn butter snowboarding?

Learning how to butter on a snowboard strengthens your overall snowboarding form. It’s a great way to improve your balance and control, and it opens up a whole new world of tricks. If you want to put on a show with the nose roll 360 or the acrobatics of the tripod, buttering is the first step.
Besides enhancing your overall freestyle skills, buttering is simply a total blast. Remember the joy of sliding across the floor in your socks as a kid? Butter snowboarding dials that feeling up to a thousand. Once this trick finally clicks for you, you’ll never want to leave the terrain park.
03

Getting started with butter snowboarding

Some snowboards are better than others when it comes to buttering. A medium board flex is ideal — soft enough for a smooth press but stiff enough to hold your butter in position. It’s also best not to use a snowboard built strictly for deep powder since well-groomed terrain is best if you’re new to buttering. Softer snow also makes you less likely to catch an edge, which is a common beginner mistake. You can also prevent your board from snagging by following good snowboard maintenance practices and regularly detuning your edges so they’re not too sharp.
You’ll also want to pack safety gear before you head to the mountain. In addition to your helmet, equipment such as impact shorts can cushion falls and protect your hips. After all, tumbling once or twice during your first few butters is practically a right of passage. Taking the necessary safety precautions ensures any falls remain just a small bump in the road.
04

Learning butter snowboarding techniques

Maggie Leon, Miles Fallon and Zeb Powell at Stratton Mountain, Vermont

Maggie Leon, Miles Fallon and Zeb Powell at Stratton Mountain, Vermont

© Brian Nevins / Red Bull Content Pool

The basics: body position and weight shifting
The stance for buttering is almost exactly the same as a traditional snowboarding stance. Your back will stay straight, your knees and ankles will stay bent, and your upper body will stay aligned with your lower body. However, there’s one key difference: You’ll shift your weight off-center by pushing your hips toward either the tail or nose of the board.
This weight-shifting motion makes the opposite end of your board rise off the ground. You’ll move your weight toward the nose to lift your tail and vice versa. You can visualize an imaginary target in the center of your board’s nose or tail if you need somewhere to aim your movement.
Buttering into a 180 turn
When you’re comfortable raising your board up, it’s time to start adding turns. In fact, many snowboarders say that a proper butter should be rounded out with at least a 180-degree turn. Practice this part on flat terrain first, and once you get the hang of it, try it as you go down the slopes.
As you shift your weight to raise the nose or tail of your board, turn your upper body to initiate a 180 spin. Your chest and shoulders will drive your board in the direction you’re facing as you rotate your arms for extra momentum. Use the weight-bearing end of your board to pivot as you finish the full 180-degree rotation. Land riding switch, recenter your weight to level out the board, and try turning again on the other side.
Attempting a full 360 spin
The next phase of your snowboard butter journey is the full 360-degree spin, but don’t pressure yourself to do this on your first run. It’s better to go slow in the beginning so you build a strong foundation. If the butter 180 no longer feels like a challenge, though, congrats! You’re ready for 360 spins.
To pull this off, you’ll rotate your upper body just like in the 180 but take things further. Namely, you’ll follow through all the way until you’re back to riding in your normal stance. If you’re doing this on the slopes rather than practicing on flat terrain, you should land facing downhill.
05

Tips for success

Pierre Vaultier and Alex Pullin at the FIS Snowboard World Cup in Bulgaria

Pierre Vaultier and Alex Pullin at the FIS Snowboard World Cup in Bulgaria

© Liubomir Asenov / Red Bull Content Pool

Learning how to butter on a snowboard is all about nailing the details. Here are some tips for performing flawless butters.
  • Aim for a small, controlled press. Sometimes, you need big explosive movements in snowboarding, but not when you’re buttering. Instead, you want a subtle, steady press as you shift your weight so you don’t overpower your board. This keeps you balanced and looks stylish — almost like you're floating across the snow.
  • Keep your knees bent and aligned. Landing with a soft bend in your knees is essential for absorbing impact. Keep your knees in line with your feet instead of letting your back knee drift toward your front foot. This is a common beginner mistake and one of the easiest ways to lose stability.
  • Watch where you lean. When you shift your weight, it’s easy for your upper body to follow your hips. Despite your natural instincts, though, leaning won’t keep you upright. Instead, shift your hips toward that imaginary target on your nose or tail.
  • Practice until you get it right. The only way to learn how to butter is to spend as much time on your board as possible. When you can’t reach the snow, use training boards to build muscle memory at home.
  • Ask for help. Sometimes, you need an extra pair of eyes to see what you need to correct. Snowboarding instructors can teach you how to butter and pull off tons of other cool snowboarding tricks. Ask your local snowboard shop where to find instructors who focus on freestyle snowboarding. You might also find private instructors who can work with you specifically on buttering.

Learn how to butter and find your snowboarding style

As you progress in your snowboarding journey, buttering will be a huge step toward learning some of the most exciting freestyle tricks. Practice until your butters are steady and effortless, and soon, you’ll be able to move up to even more thrilling moves. If you dream of impressing crowds with your unique snowboard style, it’s time to learn how to butter.

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